from the worldnet email list: 16 November 2007 Bodington Hall
Bodington Hall will be sold within the next four years and replacement student accommodation found nearer campus. The University's Governing body Council made the decision last night (November 15) after considering several options for the future of the site. Students have told us that the site is too far from campus and that catered halls do not offer the flexibility they would like. Also, the accommodation at Bodington is in need of refurbishment to bring it up the standards expected by students now. In response to this feedback a number of options were drawn up for the site. These included re-building accommodation at the Bodington site, selling and leasing back the Hall with a third-party refurbishing or re-developing the site or selling the Hall within the next four years and replacing it with accommodation closer to campus. After careful consideration, it was decided the needs of our students would be best met by selling the site and replacing it with accommodation closer to campus. The replacement accommodation would be provided in line with our Housing Strategy and we will honour our commitment to not build any new student accommodation in the Area of Housing Mix* which covers Headingley and parts of nearby neighbourhoods Woodhouse, Hyde Park, Little Woodhouse, Burley Lodge, Burley, Kirkstall and West Park. It is expected that Bodington will remain in use for two to three years. Students in Bodington at the time of sale will remain there for the rest of that academic year (ie no students would be asked to leave mid-way through a year). Staff at Bodington have been kept up to date on the proposals which went to Council and we will be holding a meeting with them to discuss the decision next week. We aim to redeploy all staff within the University. Pro-Vice-Chancellor for staff and students Professor Stephen Scott said: "Bodington has made a positive contribution to student life for many years but student expectations have changed. We need to make sure students coming to Leeds can expect a consistently high standard of accommodation which gives them the flexibility they need." Leeds University Union communications and internal affairs officer Neil Mackenzie said: “The decision to close Bodington Hall is a big decision, and not one that has been taken lightly. We completely understand the feelings of Bod residents who have had a tremendous experience during their time in halls. The strong community atmosphere at Bodington is a real strength, and something that must be maintained in any new accommodation. Unfortunately though Bodington’s time had come. The physical state of the accommodation is not good, the time it takes to get into university from the Hall is unreasonable, and the number of students applying to Bodington is continually declining. Students demand a quality of accommodation that cannot be provided by Bodington. We are committed to working with the university to ensure that future accommodation continues the strong tradition and community spirit of Bod. It is also important to understand that the Hall will not close until 2011/12, and we will work with the university to ensure that those students at Bodington continue to enjoy their time there.” Bodington is the University's largest student residence and can house 1150 students. It was built in 1960 with further self-catered flats added in 1992 – both are in need of re-refurbishment. Proceeds from the sale will be invested in academic developments for staff and students. _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist DELETE THE FOOTERS WHEN REPLYING YOU LAZY SODS!!!! DELETE THE FOOTERS WHEN REPLYING YOU LAZY SODS!!!!
